Soccer: Ngongotaha likely to maintain lead

For the past week the media has been warning of severe storm conditions for the weekend, so football fans will be hoping that the Waikato Bay of Plenty will be spared the worst of it.

Early on in the season it looked as though Tauranga Old Blues and AFC Fury would battle it out for the title but it is Ngongotaha who lead at the half way stage.

Tomorrow they have a good opportunity to stay on top.

They travel to Gower Park in search of a repeat of their first round 5-0 win over Melville United and, while the winning margin will be irrelevant, they will want to come home with three points.

Old Blues are at home against Cambridge who took the Federation Challenge Shield off Taupo last week.

Old Blues won 4-2 in round one but Cambridge will be a tougher proposition this time.

After watching his side lose narrowly in their first pre-season game, newly appointed Rotorua United coach Shaun McIlwaine told the Rotorua Daily Post "this side won't be relegated".

But time is running out for the prediction to become reality and tomorrow they host AFC Fury who won their first encounter 7-1.

United is in dire trouble and with their reserve side bottom of division two it is looming as a season of gloom.

Last week United showed some grit but still lost to Ngongotaha, another meritorious loss tomorrow will not be enough.

In other games, Tauranga City will be expected to beat Otumoetai, Whakatane Town will be favoured over Matamata Swifts, while it's a toss of the coin to predict the outcome of the Taupo Waikato Unicol clash.

Division two games tomorrow:

Rotorua United meet a strong Hukanui Rototuna side at Neil Hunt Park at 12.30pm, Matamata v West Hamilton, Old Blues v Cambridge, Papamoa v Tauranga Boys' Tokoroa v Tauranga City.